Player: Steve Garvey
Set: 1971 Topps
Card Number: 341
Why is This Card a Must Have?: First off, I am not a Steve Garvey fan, nor am I an LA Dodger fan. That being said, I believe Steve should be in the Hall of Fame. I think the people that elect players in the Hall of Fame need to stop looking at just numbers and remember players, and how the fan embraced their pretense on the field. Garvey put up good numbers, almost 2600 hits, 272 homers, 1300+ RBI, 1 MVP, 11 All Star appearances, 2 All star MVPs, 2 Championship Series MVPs, 1 Lou Gehrig award and 1 Roberto Clemente award. That is a lot of hardware, not to mention a legion of adoring fans in both LA and San Diego. That is what baseball is about. Celebrating clutch players, Garvey was indeed a clutch player, he always came through when the spot light shined the brightest. He is a fringe Hall of Fame guy, I’ll admit, but for a solid decade he was one of the best in the game. When I think of the Hall, I think, who dominated the game for a long time and when I think of it like that, I imagine Garvey in the Hall. The card was worth a lot more in the late 80′s and early 90s. Now it can be had on eBay, anywhere from $3 – $8 ungraded.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Must Have Is This Card?: A 4, not too long ago I might have put that at a 7 or even 8. Now though, in the era of the power first baseman, Garvey pales in comparison. You should still own this card, but there are many others I would target before this one.
